State of Unions.

Buzz Hargrove spoke last week at a university and a newspaper published some of the remarks and what a bunch of crap. We can agree on one thing Unions are in trouble. And only a portion of the problems are linked to 'globalization'. The problem starts with the unions themselves. They have become too institutionalized, too set in their ways and with any bureacratic system they eventually seek only too support themselves. Several years ago I was stuck on the frontline of increasingly bitter labour dispute and I kept telling all the stakes holders, including my boss, that there was too much money at stake and "Commen sense will prevail". Management made some bad choices sure, but I never and I mean never got the sense from the union that they had their members best interest at heart, it was about the lifestyle to which They had become accustomed to. After the strike was resolved, with the union loudly claiming "victory", I had to work with the members and after awhile I'd bring it up and when they truly understood what was being offered they wished they'd been informed at what Managements offer had been. Certainly, the Union had its own agenda, but when several dozen members express disappointment on how it was resolved it does become apparent what was really going on. Anyway, Unions need to leave the 1976 production model behind and finally join the 21st century. It's hard to see sometimes but Labour needs Management just as much as Management needs Labour.